Coach Steve Jenkins: A career like none before him

January 20, 2015 | Ed Beach

Coach Steve Jenkins is still building on more than 30 years of success.

Coach Steve Jenkins is now in his 33rd year at the helm of the Evangel University men’s basketball team. That fact alone may be more impressive than all the championships, awards and accolades he’s won over the years.

And the awards are plenty: six Heart of America Conference Coach of the Year awards, the NAIA-II National Coach of the Year, membership in the Evangel Athletics Hall of Fame, the Springfield Area Sports Hall of Fame and the NAIA Hall of Fame.

He’s guided his teams to eight conference championships, 12 NAIA national tournaments, a NAIA-II national title and his 622 wins rank ninth among active coaches in the NAIA.

But the 33 years stands out as it is not just the longest current tenure among the four-year, scholarship-level college men’s basketball programs in the Springfield area, it’s the longest one ever.

About Evangel

Evangel is an accredited, liberal arts university with more than 100 academic programs on the cutting edge of today's professional fields. Our commitment to the integration of faith, learning and life attracts students from a wide variety of Christian denominational backgrounds who have a strong commitment to academics with a desire to combine their Christian faith with every aspect of their lives.